


Still hanging around with this loser?

by Debate



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: "friendship", Gen, Pre-HYDRA Reveal, Season/Series 01, Unreliable Narrator, toxic masculinity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-08
Updated: 2017-08-08
Packaged: 2018-12-12 22:56:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11746923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Debate/pseuds/Debate
Summary: Ward begins to understand Fitzsimmons, Fitz tries to understand Ward.Post 1x02





	Still hanging around with this loser?

It had been a quiet week. They had been grounded while the repairs to the Bus were being made and Ward was free to do what he wanted during the day so long as he stayed out of the way of the mechanics and remained on base. 

Normally he’d appreciate having so much free time, but doing nothing so soon into a new assignment left him feeling bored and stagnant. He was relieved when they were finally cleared for take off again. 

Since it was a Friday night (or had been in the time zone they were in upon take off) Simmons had suggested they do some team bonding, which seemed pertinent after their last mission. Skye had suggested a movie night. They argued over what to watch until Simmons learned that Skye had never seen Star Wars, she had then insisted they all marathon the original trilogy together in a way that provoked no argument. 

Her plan derailed however when she fell asleep halfway through  _ The Empire Strikes Back  _ and couldn’t enforce Skye’s continued presence, who gratefully skived off to bed, claiming she had been looking at screens all day and that the continued blue light exposure was making her eyes tired. 

“We should have asked Coulson to join us,” Fitz said to his left as the credits rolled on the second movie. “I bet that he’s actually a big fan.” 

“What? And you’re not?” Ward asked, and Fitz shrugged one shoulder, Simmons still asleep on the other. 

“Not really, I mean, they’re good enough movies, but I don’t think they’re the cinematic marvels most people make them out to be,” Fitz said. “I hadn’t seen any of them until  _ Revenge of the Sith  _ came out and Simmons practically dragged me to the theater, and then was outraged when I didn’t understand what was going on.”

“That surprises me,” Ward admitted.

“Why, because suddenly I don’t perfectly fit the stereotypical vision of a nerd that you have in your head?” Fitz huffed, but the tone in his voice suggested he was mostly teasing.

“Please Fitz, you’ve never fit that stereotype,” he paused, “You don’t even wear glasses.” 

Fitz snorted and gave Ward one of his amused and genuine closed lip smiles.

“And what I really meant,” Ward continued, “was that Simmons didn’t really strike me as a die hard Star Wars fan.”

“Oh, yeah. Well I reckon that it really stems from the stupid celebrity crush she has on Harrison Ford, she loves Indiana Jones too, even though she should be horrified by how he so casually breaks the ethical outlines of the Society for American Archeology.” 

Ward rose to pop the DVD out of the player and replaced it in its case. 

“We’re not gonna watch the last one, are we?” Ward asked and looked back at the couch to where Fitz sat with Simmons resting against him. “Wait, is she drooling on you?”

“Uh, yeah, it’s gross, but don’t ever accuse her of it or she’ll get real uppity,” Fitz said with an eyeroll, but made no move to rearrange Simmons into a position where she wasn’t drooling onto his upper arm. 

“I could carry her off to her bunk if you want,” Ward offered. The couch was really too narrow to let her sleep on it all night, and if their voices and the noise from the movie hadn’t woken her it seemed unlikely she’d make it back to bed by herself. 

“Oh no, don’t worry about it. If we move her she’ll wake up. And she may claim that I’m the grumpy one, but you don’t wanna wake her up mid nap. I’ll just wait another twenty minutes for her to finish this REM cycle and then get her off to bed.” 

Ward could only look at Fitz for a moment, as he sat deliberately still so as to not jostle Simmons. A feat, considering Fitz seemed to be constantly moving in a jittery fashion. 

“What?” Fitz asked, noticing the way he was looking at them.

“Oh, I just didn’t really get the whole ‘Fitzsimmons’ thing till just now.” 

He had thought it had just been about the way that they worked together in the lab, which, while impressive, didn’t hold much weight in Ward’s operations based life. But it wasn’t really about their working relationship, it was about outside of it, that at the end of the work day they didn’t stop being partners. 

Ward had gone through nearly a dozen partners, and while he could handle almost anyone during a job (so long as they were competent), after a mission he had never stopped to get a drink or get to know any one of them. It was part of what made his superiors finally realize that he was better off working alone, as he had always insisted.

“You thought they smashed our names together for the sake of it? Nice use of your superspy skills.” 

Ward had to look chided after that comment. He shrugged. 

“You too are just close. Closer than I thought.” They were really close, probably more than either of them knew, and perhaps to a dangerous extreme, he’d have to make a note of that. 

Fitz rolled his eyes, “Well of course, aren’t you with your best friend?” 

“Don’t have one.”

At first Fitz looked surprised, like he couldn’t quite believe it were possible for anyone to not have a best friend, then his expression melted into one of pity. And maybe, if he were a different man, he’d think it was sad too, and be ashamed that someone like Fitz could possibly pity him.

“Was never really meant to,” he continued, feeling, for some reason, obligated to give Fitz an explanation, “Specialists aren’t really supposed to get attached to anyone...or anything. It can go wrong so easily.”

Fitz looked disturbed, and it was almost cute, how his own naivete protected him from such a basic fact of life. He’d get a rude awakening one day, Ward was sure. 

“That’s...a really sad way of thinking. I can’t believe that they teach that kind of shit at Operations. Being Jemma’s friend is the best thing that ever happened to me.” 

For a moment Ward thought he had to be overselling it, that there was no way Fitz would actually believe that. Fitz had accomplished a lot in his young life without her, Ward had read his file. But Fitz said exactly what he meant, his face nothing but genuine. For a weak moment Ward imagined what it might be like, to have a friend like that. 

And then, as if sensing the silent desires of his heart, Fitz said. 

“Well, I can’t make you be my best friend, since that space is already occupied, but I’ll gladly be your friend.” He moved carefully for the first time, stretching out his hand as an offering. Ward shook it, feeling an unexpected swelling of accomplishment. He’d made a friend. Then he blinked a few times, to remind himself that the accomplishment he felt was for gaining Fitz’s trust. Fitz smiled, as if to solidify that reminder.

Ward smiled back at him, and realigned himself, easily disguising the pity for poor, unknowing Fitz. He made it too easy. 

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from the Empire Strikes Back
> 
> Writing from Ward's POV during season one is really weird, cause on the inside he's still a dirt bag, but on the outside he's not, and he doesn't view himself as a dirt bag of course, so it's a bit of a balancing act and I'd really appreciate feedback on it! Also if anyone else knows of other season 1 Ward POV fics hmu! I can't seem to find many?


End file.
